If Your Vagina Could Talk, It Would Want You To Know This

Your lady garden has a few things it’d like you to know. And it ain’t all pretty…

Do you know how amazing your vagina is? Let’s go back a bit — do you know exactly where your vagina is? A lot of people say “vagina” to mean everything down there in your lady garden, but your actual vagina is the canal between your cervix and your hymen. The external female sex organs, such as your clitoris, the inner and outer lips, your urethra… that’s your vulva. But let’s go with the familiar, all-encompassing term “vagina.”

“Vaginas are like snowflakes.”

Should vaginas look a “certain” way? “There is absolutely no abnormal vagina; unless we are born with a congenital malformation, they are all normal [and] come in all shapes and sizes,” advises Dr. Carolyn DeLucia, a New Jersey-based OB/GYN and advisor to Remedy Review. “The size of the clitoral hood, the size of the clitoris, the size of the labia menorah, the size of the labia majora — all vary from woman to woman. We are like snowflakes. No two are alike.”

“Yes, childbirth can change me.”

It’s true; childbirth can change the way a vagina looks and feels. “The vagina tends to be stretched with childbirth,” DeLucia explains. “Some women will bounce back and it is difficult to tell they ever had a baby. Others will never be the same. Sometimes women will tear or require an episiotomy to aid with delivery.” Physical therapy for your vagina can help with some of these (and other) issues.

“Do you really want to put yogurt in me?”

Opinion is divided on this, with some believing that putting yogurt in your vagina is a natural fix for yeast infections and others saying that yogurt may not address the type of bacteria that causes your particular yeast infection. “The way that yogurt can help treat a yeast infection is by supplying us with active cultures of the bacteria that are needed to naturally coat our intestines and then find their way into the natural bacterial biome of the vagina,” says DeLucia. “These are lactobacilli acidophilus. Therefore buying a yogurt with active cultures is the desired type.” Or, you could just buy some over-the-counter remedy, or get a prescription from your doc.

“Do you know about my pH levels?”

Do you know what your vaginal pH is? You should. “When we refer to vaginal pH we are referring to the delicate balance of acids and bases in the vagina,” says DeLucia, who adds that bacteria in the vagina gently balances the pH levels. “The healthiest bacteria — called lactobacilli — will produce lactic acid and keep the vagina in a slightly acidic pH. Maintaining this level is what is healthiest for us. When there is an alteration in the pH, we often will feel like we are irritated.”

“Do you know what affects my pH levels?”

The answer is… “Almost anything we eat and drink can affect our body’s pH,” DeLucia warns, including an overabundance of sugar, intercourse, and lubricants. “Soaps and perfumes are especially culprits in affecting our pH.” And speaking of which…

“I smell fine, thank you very much.”

Women frequently worry about how they smell “down there” and turn to products like douching to change their natural scent. Don’t! Douches can mess with your vagina’s pH and cause infection — not to mention that douching has also been linked to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) and bacterial vaginosis.

“Please wipe me from front to back.”

It does matter. Improper wiping isn’t so much the cause of yeast infections, but “bacterial infections of the bladder and urethra or urinary track infections can be caused by the way we wipe, because we are bringing bacteria that are around the anal area up towards the urethra or the bladder opening,” says DeLucia.

Image via pexels.com

Comment: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about the vagina?

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